Sammy Keyes and the Killer Cruise

Sammy Keyes #17

by Wendelin Van Draanen

"The most winning junior detective ever in teen lit. (Take that, Nancy Drew!)" —Midwest Children's Book Revie w

Sammy knew that getting to know her new rockstar dad on a cruise would be a little uncomfortable. . . . But when the heiress to a perfume empire disappears from the ship, it turns out everyone's in for a rocky ride.

In this penultimate book in the Sammy Keyes mystery series, Wendelin Van Draanen pays homage to the mystery genre. This book is a classic locked-room whodunnit—Sammy Keyes style.

The Sammy Keyes mysteries are fast-paced, funny, thoroughly modern, and true whodunits. Each mystery is exciting and dramatic, but it's the drama in Sammy's personal life that keeps readers coming back to see what happens next with her love interest Casey, her soap-star mother, and her mysterious father.


From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Fiction, Contemporary, Childrens, Mystery Thriller

336 pages, Library Binding

First published September 10, 2013

About the author

Wendelin Van Draanen has written more than thirty novels for young readers and teens. She is the author of the 18-book Edgar-winning Sammy Keyes series, and wrote Flipped which was named a Top 100 Children’s Novel for the 21st Century by SLJ, and became a Warner Brothers feature film with Rob Reiner directing. Her novel The Running Dream was awarded ALA’s Schneider Family Award for its portrayal of the disability experience.

Van Draanen's latest book, Hope in the Mail, is part memoir, part writing guided, designed to encourage aspiring writers to pursue their dream.

Van Draanen is also the author of two short chapter-book series. The Gecko & Sticky books, are fun read-alouds, perfect for reluctant readers, and the Shredderman books—featuring a boy who deals with a bully—received the Christopher Award for “affirming the highest values of the human spirit” and became a Nickelodeon made-for-TV movie.

Van Draanen was a classroom teacher for fifteen years. She and her husband reside in California and have two sons.

Reviews

[Troi · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are no words that can express how much I loved reading this book. I knew when I started reading that it was going to be a good one, but I had absolutely no idea how much fun I was going to have.

I was a little disappointed to learn that this book was set on a cruise and not in Santa Martina (possibly my favorite fictional place in the entire world) and that the only returning character we'd have would be Marissa (which, WHY? Why does she have to go to Ohio?! My heart is breaking for Sammy!) but that quickly changed as we met Sammy's father Darren, and his band mate and best friend Marko and boarded the cruise ship.

I've always loved father-daughter dynamics in stories that are happy and uplifting, and this was no exception. Granted, Sammy and Darren don't have much of a dynamic at the beginning, but that quickly changes - and not unrealistically. I absolutely loved watching them bond and get to know each other. Darren's awkward attempt at parenting in the beginning, and Sammy's unsure acceptance of him as a dad, - which had only ever been a dream to her before now - was so cute to read about. There were just so many moments that made me smile, my face hurts right now.

And Marko is my new favorite character. I wish I knew someone like him in real life. Because I really need more laughter and more corn in my life.

I love Sammy Keyes. And even though I'm 21 years old now and I can tell that these books are definitely aimed toward girls about ten years younger than I am, I can tell that I'm always going to love Sammy Keyes. Especially after reading this book, by far my favorite in the entire series.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sammy has been a part of my life since I was in the fourth grade, when I picked up a paperback copy of SAMMY KEYES AND THE HOTEL THIEF to write a book report on. Since then, I've gone through elementary, middle, and high school, and graduated from college, but Sammy remains one of my favorite fictional characters of all time. Even now, I will stop everything I'm doing and race through the newest SAMMY KEYES mystery the moment I get my hands on it.

Every time I read the newest installment in this series, I marvel at author Wendelin Van Draanen's ability to keep the saga going so strong, especially during a time when series are all the rage and yet many sputter out by the second book. Can you believe that KILLER CRUISE is Book Number Seventeen in the series? And yet is still comparable to many of the previous SAMMY books? How does Van Draanen pull it off with almost every single new release?

Another thing I marvel at is how Van Draanen slips in clues about the mystery in ways that seem so natural you wouldn't think twice unless you remember that you're reading a mystery and should be on high alert for potentially helpful details. As a SAMMY fan, I'm accustomed to teasing out which details might be useful, which has, on occasion, helped me figure out the mystery before Sammy did. But KILLER CRUISE totally sucker-punched me, not once, but twice! Here's how:

Number one: I knew that when Sammy was talking about disguises with her dad, the idea was going to come up again. I just didn't know how. For the longest time, I entertained the crazy notion that maybe one of the Kensingtons was disguised as the Puzzle Lady -- because why else would she be in the story? -- but I couldn't make sense of why she would spend all her time in the library when she could be eavesdropping. I did not see the truth coming at all.

Number two: When Sammy was doing her chemistry homework, my mind was in hyper drive, wondering why the heck Van Draanen had included this. Fictional characters never do homework! Sure, we've seen Sammy do homework before, but never in this much detail, so it must be important. Maybe if I'd stopped to think about it a bit more, I would have figured everything out, but I was mostly mind-boggled that Van Draanen managed to slip in a clue through Sammy's homework.

Anyway, KILLER CRUISE has all of the traits you'd expect from a SAMMY book (e.g. Sammy snooping around, Sammy dragging Marissa into snooping around, Sammy doing crazy/questionable things while snooping around, Sammy getting that aha! moment when you least expect it), but none of it ever feels formulaic. A large part of this is due to Sammy's dad and his friend Marko, who bring a refreshing "adult" presence that hasn't really been tapped into in the other novels. (I put "adult" in quotation marks because Sammy's dad and Marko are not the same type of "adults" as, say, Grams, Hudson, Ms. Rothhammer, and Officer Borsch.) Marko in particular is a gem of a character, and I hope we get to see more of him later.

The mystery in this one wasn't as engaging as in some of the previous SAMMY books (especially SHOWDOWN IN SIN CITY, which had The Big Mystery), but I think that was mostly because I was much more invested in the developing relationship between Sammy and her dad. I've wanted a happy ending for Sammy for so long, and I teared up more than once when reading some of the father-daughter-related interactions and musings in KILLER CRUISE. And while some other teens might go crazy spoiled upon finding out that they have a rock star for their dad, Sammy remains the feisty, passionate, and down-to-earth Sammy that we know and love.

[Melissa McShane · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's always such a joy to read a new Sammy Keyes novel. In this one, Sammy's finally met her father and they're going on a cruise together (without her mother, whom I still don't care for). Naturally, Sammy stumbles into a mystery, in this case one surrounding a very wealthy family who are all after their dead father's money. The mystery is strong, and Sammy's growing relationship with her father is so satisfying I wanted to see more of it. I still say Sammy and Marissa don't stand much chance of staying friends, even if Marissa weren't moving far away, but it was nice to see Sammy's dad Darren and his best friend Marko interact. Darren and Sammy are a lot alike, and despite my distaste for Lady Lana, I would like to see how the three of them get along together.

[Caradith Craven · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently read the ARC for Killer Cruise. Avid mystery readers and Sammy Keyes fans won't want to miss this who-done-it cruise ship mystery as Sammy, her newly- discovered dad, and their best friends, Marissa and Marko, set sail on the high seas.

This is a classic Sammy Keyes mystery...with the dysfunctional Kensington family, heirs to a perfume dynasty, as the main cast of suspicious characters in this wild adventure story. The suspense builds as Sammy and friends kick into crime-solving mode when the Diamond Dame of the Kensington family, Kate Kensington, suddenly goes missing aboard ship and no one except her adopted grandson Kip seems to care.

In the next-to-the last book in the series, Wendelin Van Draanen pays tribute to the mystery genre as she cleverly and meticulously unfolds a well-plotted suspense story that sequentially lays out all the clues to "decode" a mystery that keeps readers guessing to the very end. Along the way, the relationship between Sammy and her dad develops into a trusting, caring father-daughter bond that is truly heartwarming. Put this poignant page-turner mystery on your must read list when it hits the book shelves in September, 2013.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved that we are now back to the perfect blend of a mystery alongside something going on in Sammy's personal life. The conversations with her dad were beautifully written.
I think the Kensingtons drama could have been done differently. Cruise ships are large so the odds that they kept bumping into them and able to eavesdrop were a bit far fetched. I liked the twist with the puzzle lady as I thought it would be someone else.
Can't believe I have one book left in this series that has taken me 20 years to finish!

[Susanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read a couple of the Sammy Keyes books when I was younger. Not realising how big the series was! Since I found out I have listened to them all in order.

This is possibly my new favourite one in the series. It’s set in a cruise ship and Sammy gets involved in a mystery of her own! Absolutely loved it.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably my least favorite of the Sammy Keyes series. I liked seeing Sammy learn about her Dad but otherwise I felt it was a little drawn out and predictable.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

lots of love for the Darren content in this one

[Seyi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved this book, and I really hope this isn't the last one! The ending was surprising. I was shocked when the adults saw their presumed-dead father and were like "Oh no, not him..."
I also appreciated WVD's attempt at branching out. A boy from Kenya! Yay!
I wasn't completely satisfied though, if only because Africa was thrown around way too much. They went to KENYA. One country. Kip specified that it was the poorer part. Of KENYA. Yet they were always building the hospital in "Africa" and moving to "Africa", where there was all this "poverty and starvation". Let us specify.
But it was an attempt, of which I am happy. I don't want Marissa to move though. Ohio is too far!

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah! The Second to last Sammy Keyes novel. I don't know what I will do! I'm going to miss her, but I'm happy with how her character has developed and grown over the series. This was a great novel because of the addition of her father. It was very sweet and nice to see how she some of his traits. The plot was fun and over the top. Sammy Keyes is one fo the most orignal voices and the stories are a great mix of fun, adventure, friendship, life lessons, and mystery.

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

I closed this book with a touch of sadness. My daughter and I have read at least 6 or 7 books in this series. I read to her every night before bed and for a couple of years, all she wanted to do were "Sammy Keyes" books. During those years she was just a few years younger than Sammy and then Sammy's age. It got to the point where I had say, "Honey, no, not another Sammy Keyes book." The stories are delightful. Sammy and the characters around her and really fun. But I just needed something else. So, we took a break and read other books, and then I asked me if we could do another Sammy Keyes. I said okay. It takes us a while to get through these books because we only do 2-5 pages a night. And when we started "Killer Cruise," my daughter was about to start high school. By the time we finished, she was a semester into high school, and older than Sammy Keyes; too old for Sammy Keyes, I think. She wants to move on "Shatter Me," "Hunger Games," and "Maze Runner." She's already read "Divergent" on her own.

So, I think we're done with Sammy Keyes. This latest one (for us) "Killer Cruise" was really appropriate because we had taken a cruise this past summer of about the same duration as the cruise Sammy went on in the book. We could relate to all the thing she and Marissa saw in their adventures.

I wonder if Wendelin Van Draanen wrote herself into the story. I do thank her for writing beautiful stories I could share with my teenaged daughter. My favorites are either the one about the Condor, or this one. And, like I said, with gratitude and sadness, I close the Sammy Keyes stories for now. Maybe one day, I'll have a Granddaughter (or grandson), and we can sit together, and read about the crazy Sammy Keyes stories.

[yasmin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's unfortunate that the penultimate book in this beloved mystery series is marred by the egregious talk of "impoverished and starving children in Africa," "he's adopted from Africa," "my time in Africa".... It's only mentioned once, but they're talking about Kenya!! But for much of the book we're meant to act like, hey, Somalia, Nigeria, Egypt, Tanzania, whatever! Not to mention what was a frankly unforgivable "accent" from the audiobook reader when reading the Kenyan characters' dialogue — at any given moment it sounded vaguely Russian, or Irish, or British, or, very often, Mexican (??).

I'm disappointed that, since the "yikes" of SK & the Search for Snake Eyes, WVD hasn't seemed to have been able to add any more nuance to her writing of characters of color... Which I almost find odd given how well she portrays other complicated POVs respectfully, like the parent-less-ness and relative poverty that Sammy faces through much of the series, or how a gambling addiction broke up Marissa's family...

That said... The mystery, the actual puzzle of the book, is some of the best in the series. Reading these again as an adult, the mysteries can often be transparent, which I'm OK with — but even though I was able to piece this one together a bit earlier, I was left guessing a lot of the time, too. I liked the departure from Santa Martina and the focus on Sammy and Marissa's relationship. I also especially appreciated the sentiment that Sammy wouldn't be who she was today without having kind of a hard childhood.. That's the kind of thing that drew me to these books when I was a kid having a hard childhood, lmao.

A difficult book to rate!! One more left 3

[Cora · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book even though it seemed to be geared towards teens (and maybe even pre-teens!). It was a fun read - nothing too serious but still had some suspense and some "whodunit" mystery to it. I really LOVE cruises which is how I found this book so the fact that the book takes place on the cruise was even more fun to me than it might be for the regular reader. This is book #17 and I never read any others in the series but didn't feel lost or anything - I don't know if this is actually a stand-alone book or if it would have made more sense if I read the others. If you're just looking for a fun read without any bad words or sex scenes or too heavy of topics then I might recommend this book... if you absolutely love cruises then I would for sure recommend this one if you don't mind it being written for/from a teenage perspective in some parts. You really can't take it too seriously.

[Priyanka · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was so sweet to see Sammy finally getting to know her dad. He was everything and more she could have wished for. I did like that this book only focused on Sammy, Marissa, and Sammy's dad. The expanding cast of characters sometimes made the last 10 instalments feel a bit bloated. I do think her parents should not get back together because her mother has pretty much been a deadbeat for years. It’s hard to respect her father for wanting to be with such a person. But hey, it’s Sammy Keyes, everything works out charmingly and splendidly. Even an average Sammy Keyes mystery is head and shoulders above other mysteries. I'm here less for the mystery aspect and more for the gags and Sammy's humour.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going to miss Sammy Keyes, even though 18 books is pretty long for any series. I love that we've gotten some real development with the reveal of her dad, and I'm so happy that she is finally has a parent who does care about her. I would honestly read this series forever.

Reveal: Kip is actually his mother's sister, and would be guaranteed a fourth of the inheritance when his grandparents/actual parents passed. His grandparents faked a death to show how the other heirs were greedy and entitled.

[Alisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was sweet but not totally memorable for me. I loved all the fun running around a cruise ship, since I have been on cruises before. I do like the relationship (I haven't read any other books in this series), that the main character is starting to have with her dad. Fun book. I guess I must be too set apart from young adult fiction to have this be memorable for me this go around.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sammy and Marissa are going on a cruise with her father, Darren. Sammy has never been on a cruise before, so Marissa shows her the ropes. There are midnight buffets, endless food, and many ways for two teenage girls to get into trouble. Well, at least one teenage girl. Along the way, Sammy ends up solving a mystery that no one else understands.

[Carole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sammy Keyes has recently met her father for the first time; it turns out that he is a real rock star. He and his band are going to be playing on a cruise ship, and he invites Sammy and her best friend Marissa to go on the cruise. Of course Sammy being Sammy she gets involved in two mysteries; first the head of a family disappears, then her grandson. Can Sammy solve the mysteries?

[Tammie Groeneman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first Sammy Keyes book I’ve ever read and it was SO FUN! I enjoyed it in spite of the fact that I’m not a fan of cruises 🤢. The characters are fun, it’s not filled with snarky talk. They are funny, the mystery is interesting and satisfying with lots of enjoyable red herrings. I would have loved this book as teen and I do now as a grandma!

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad one, but I had a little trouble stayed engaged with it—took me over three hours to read this one, which is long for Sammy Keyes. I wasn’t a fan of Marko, but class-clown type characters have always turned me off. The story was still good, though, and it was nice to see Sammy connect with her dad after longing for that the entire series.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

ugh cute and good and exciting as always - the penultimate sammy keyes!!!! i may not emotionally recover from reading the final book in this series so if this is my last review, everyone will know why

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Featuring the iconic Kensington Clue:

"It was Noah! In the library! With the rope!"

In addition to the father-daughter bonding between Darren and Sandy, it was nice to have some good old-fashioned Sammy and Marissa time.

[Charly Troff (JustaReadingMama) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was worried that because this one was set away from her home town and Sammy's friends that I wouldn't like it as much, but I didn't need to worry. I loved it! Her relationship with her Dad was so sweet and the cruise ship aspects were so fun and I loved the mystery.

[chloe-phloe ₊ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“And the truth is, I’m almost positive that I wouldn’t respect and admire and love that person the way I do you.”

24.06.06
i shed happy tears for my bby Sammy

🫶🫶

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love me some good Sammy Keyes. Her relationship with her father in this book made it one of my favorites.

[Caron · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish Sammy was a real person, because I want to be her friend.

[Samuel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t really like it. In my opinion it was a little bit boring in the middle of the book I wanted to close it and like to stop reading but I continued. To see maybe at the end it could be better but I didn’t get better it. But the start was interesting learning the Characters

[Sylvie Gold · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The mystery was interesting and full of surprising twists and turns, but the best part was the way Sammy finally really bonded with her dad!

[aem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really sweet story with Sammy and a little mystery thrown in!

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gotta love a happy ending. How can Book 18 top this?!